Stray Bullet
by AnonymousTwit
Summary: In which there's a sniper attack at U.A. and Bakugou decides to do something selfless for once. No pairings. Set after the Hideout Raid arc, so manga spoilers. Any cussing is censored 'cause I'm a wuss.
1. Stray Bullet

**WHERE THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFRICK HAVE I BEEN!? *huff* Alright, yeah, yeah, this isn't a Hetalia story, but hey, it's something, am I right? Of course, I do plan on getting those stories done someday. I absolutely refuse to leave them as 'in progress' for all of eternity, as there are, in fact, some people who enjoy them. For now, though, this is just proof that life still exists in this place. Either way, My Hero Academia is probably gonna be my favorite thing in the universe for a couple of months or so, maybe more, but this'll probably be the only thing I write on it, maybe, I think. I'm pretty sure. We'll see. For now, here's an angsty one-shot about it, 'cause why not.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is amazing and awesome and I love it!**

* * *

If he were to be honest with himself, he should have known that something was wrong when Toshinori started fidgeting around like a cat in a dog kennel for no apparent reason, but Aizawa was about five hours, two cups of coffee, and a vacation away from caring.

The day had started with the announcement that due to renovations in the cafeteria, lunch would be spent in a specially prepared room further in the building. It wasn't anything special, actually. Just tables and chairs with some fancy catering service that Lunch-Rush had organized. It was somewhere for the students to eat for the day. Plain and simple. Works for him. The students didn't seem too concerned either(except for Aoyama maybe, but nobody cared), so no problems there. Great. Moving on.

After that is when things fell into the usual chaos. Aizawa couldn't bring himself to try and remember what classes it happened in, but if he was correct, there had been approximately five times that Mineta got slapped, two instances of Midoriya's mumbling, a giggling fit from Kirishima, and three explosions, two of them being verbal(one of those two involving whatever Kirishima found so funny) and a literal one that cost Sero his desk. A part of him thinks that he should probably give Bakugou detention for it, but the other part of him is too use to it, which just makes it seem tedious and unnecessary. There were also a couple of times where the permanently deflated All Might would crash class for no reason other than to release nervous energy and get blood stains on his sleeping bag.

When lunch came around, Aizawa inspected their temporary cafeteria. Besides the previously mentioned tables and chairs, the room was very plain with open windows and a hard tile floor. It was originally meant for storage, but was never needed and is now simply used whenever an extra room is required for an event or emergency. From the looks of it, it was business as usual and the teacher assigned as supervision that day was at their post. Satisfied, Aizawa left for the teacher's lounge to get one of those cups of coffee he was lacking.

"YEAH! What is up, Eraser head?" he heard Present Mic greet(announce?) from somewhere to his left.

"What happened to the coffee machine?" he asked, almost a hint of disappoint in his voice. _Almost._

Present Mic shrugged. "Eh, from what I've been told, two students got into a serious fight of epic proportions and were sent here to calm down and make up." He stared mournfully at the destroyed piece of machinery. It would be missed. "They didn't."

Aizawa glanced at him with a knowing, deadpan look. "Was one of them Bakugou?"

"Probably."

"Figures." Not only were the remains still _smoldering_ , but he now noticed the absence one of the couches and the coffee table, as well as the large painted over burn mark on the wall behind Mic. Yep, Bakugou. Aizawa sighed.

"I am here!" Despite his scrawny appearance and the spray of blood that instantly followed his proclamation, the moment he opened the door, Toshinori was puffing out his chest and giving his best grin(?) as if it were habitual. It probably _was_ habitual now, if he were honest, considering the circumstances, and especially considering that it was only the three of them there.

He was still being fidgety. Normally, he only acted like this if his hero instincts were going off. Considering All Might's history, said instincts were certainly reputable. However, A. As of late, this often happened with smaller, personal matters, such as a student being sad or ill. B. Recently, their security had been especially tight, thanks to the training camp fiasco and the Kamino Ward incident. So, logically speaking, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. It was Toshinori's problem. He can go find the problem student on his own time. For now, there was still plenty of time for a nap before afternoon classes, and Aizawa intended to take advantage of that fact.

Present Mic watched in confusion as Aizawa promptly laid down across the nearest couch on his stomach. He waltz over near his head, completely hidden under a mass of dark hair and pale cloth, and leaned over him. "Hey, where's your sleeping bag?"

"Midnight stole it." She probably wanted to wash it after it got splattered by Toshinori, and it annoyed him to no end. Either way, he didn't want to worry about anything right now. All he wanted was some peace and quiet. Was that so much to ask? These were the last thoughts running through his mind before he finally started drifting to sleep.

His head had never shot up so fast as when All Might and Present Mic's chattering was silenced by the sound of a muffled gunshot.

By the time Aizawa had thrown himself off the couch and into action, Toshinori was already in full sprint towards the cafeteria, Present Mic giving chase and Aizawa not far behind. A part of him wanted to say that someone from the support department was being stupid, but at this time, all students should be in the makeshift cafeteria right now, so it most likely wasn't an accident, and even less likely that it was a student or faculty member behind it. If it was the supposed traitor or the League of Villains making a move, then security and surveillance would prove this to be a really stupid one, so that likely wasn't the case either. But then that left the question of who snuck on campus and how. Of course, saying this was an attack in the first place without any evidence suggesting it was as of yet was the text book definition of jumping to conclusions, but somehow, after so many years of experience in the hero biz under his belt, he knew better than to assume the best.

"AIZAWA-SENSEI!"

Tenya Iida came to a screeching halt ahead of them. As Toshinori and Present Mic kept on plowing forward, Iida approached Aizawa so that they were running side by side. Aizawa instantly noticed how pale he was, his eyes a mix of amazement and terror. His hair was slightly disheveled from the simultaneous effects of fast movement and sweat and his glasses were left lop-sided in his rush.

"Sensei, there was an attack! A sniper, we believe!" he stated. "Two students have been injured!"

Aizawa felt his stomach drop as Iida continued to ramble, the majority of the time being uncharacteristically incoherent solely because of how fast he was talking. The faint sounds of mass panic from the cafeteria became more prominent as they approached. "-It was amazing, sir! Truly inspiring! The most heroic thing I've ever seen him do! Now we must send for Recovery Girl immediately!"

Toshinori threw the door open just ahead of them, Present Mic leaping forward. "Alright! Everybody stay calm!" he called out enthusiastically, trying to assure his audience.

"Don't worry, for I am here!" _Entirely habitual._ It was the second time Aizawa had heard him announce himself, but if no one else noticed the stark lack of cheeriness behind it this time, he decided it was best to keep it that way.

" _All Might!_ " A shriek. Unfiltered fear. Desperation. A voice dry and cracking from excessive use. Toshinori's reaction was instantaneous.

As Toshinori dove through the crowd of students, Aizawa took the moment to take in their surroundings. From where he was, there was a clear view of the large windows to the left. One of them was almost completely shattered, and what was left of it was beyond repair. Directly across was a clear view of the city, bustling with excitement as the U.A. Barrier activated with no obvious threats in sight. It must have been set off manually by one of the other teachers. If it was a sniper as Iida claimed, then there was no way that the civilians he was seeing didn't hear the gunshot, which meant that the media was gonna be on them momentarily. Spectacular.

He also noticed a distinct lack of supervisors. Where'd that guy gone!? He was new. A rookie hero with an admirable amount of grit and passion for the hero industry. He was only suppose to keep an eye on them until Midnight returned from her stupid little errand and took his place, but now, he was nowhere to be seen. Aizawa made a mental note to have Nezu fire that guy at all costs.

"Young Midoriya!" he heard All Might call. "What happened?"

"I just- I don't- I don't know! I- I- Please, help him!" Aizawa could tell from his voice alone that he was hyperventilating. It was worse than he thought, wasn't it?

Pushing through the crowd of students, the first thing he noticed was blood on the table. As he grew closer, he caught a small glimpse of Midoriya, his shoulders shaking so violently that they could cause an earthquake and eyes carrying so many emotions that it was absolutely dizzying. Toshinori was speaking to him in a calming manner and at a volume where Aizawa couldn't really make out what he was saying. Present Mic had somehow gotten ahead of him and was tending to the injured that Iida had reported.

It wasn't difficult to put the final pieces together at the sight of a panicked Kirishima. He was standing behind Present Mic, watching over his shoulder with his fists clenched so tightly that they were bleeding. Aizawa finally broke through the crowd.

If he hadn't known who he was talking about, he'd say that Bakugou looked like he was dead. Present Mic had already unbuttoned his uniform jacket and over shirt and was currently tearing through his soaked tank top. Compared to the dark red color it was soaked with, it made his skin look especially ashen. What concerned him the most, however, was that he was completely limp. Normally, he was wearing a scowl or a smirk, brows furrowed and body tensed up like a spring; A predator ready to pounce. Right now, there was no tension in his body or face whatsoever. In fact, the only sign of life was the shallow rise and fall of his chest when Mic finally tore his shirt apart.

They were greeted by the sight of a bullet wound in his chest. Iida was completely right. They need Recovery Girl _now_.

"Eraser," Mic's voice took on the most serious tone he'd heard from him in a while. "Comfort isn't really your thing. You take him to Recovery Girl and Toshinori and I will handle student morale. Hurry."

Aizawa couldn't argue with that logic. Ignoring the protests that rose from Kirishima when Present Mic pushed him back, he picked up his unconscious student bridal style and turned to make a hasty exit.

"We'll come with Uraraka once everything settles down." Mic added.

Aizawa blinked. From his peripheral vision, he noticed her crawling over to where Midoriya was, now huddled up to All Might and still shaking like a leaf and grinding his teeth. There was a steady stream of blood running down Uraraka's face, originating from a massive cut on the heavily bruised right side of her forehead. She looked shaken, still within the process of registering whatever had happened. Aizawa's first theory was that she'd also been in the line of fire and was grazed, but the angle made little sense and it didn't explain the bruise.

For now, however, it didn't matter. He could find out the details at a later time. As of that moment, getting Bakugou to Recovery Girl was his absolute number one priority and nothing was going to distract him from it. With that, completely ignoring any cry or protest from behind him, Aizawa left the scene at a speed that shouldn't have even been physically possible for him.

* * *

The sniper had been aiming for Midoriya.

The sniper himself had been a mentally unstable former hero and military veteran. From what Aizawa understood, he claimed that voices in his head had convinced him that the U.A. student Izuku Midoriya was trying to replace the Symbol of Peace all along and that he needed to be eliminated. Aizawa wasn't sure if he was truly that deranged or if a villain was pulling the strings behind this. The reason he could get away with stalking or spying was because he had a quirk that allowed him to play with his own DNA to some degree, so he never appeared the same as he left and he kept slipping under the radar by changing things like his hair or eye color. The makeshift cafeteria gave him a perfect angle from a certain building, a good distance away to both be hidden from view and call his attempt an impressive shot, and thus, his plan went into action. He would have been successful too, if it hadn't been for one sole factor that no one could have ever considered:

Bakugou's inhuman reaction time.

He'd been nearby and happened to be looking out the window when he saw the flash of light and reacted. The kid never ceased to amaze, did he?

Aizawa huffed. The last thirty six hours had been absolutely exhausting. The bullet had been imbedded just under his heart, missing it by about a centimeter, and Recovery Girl had to surgically remove it before she could heal him. Thankfully, the operation went smoothly and there weren't any instances of critical danger.

Much to Aizawa's relief, calling his parents was just as smooth, though rather than the shock and concern one might expect, Bakugou's mother simply responded with a "that idiot" and a curse, and that was about it. He chose not to worry about it. There was probably something he missed there, anyway.

He chose to spend the night in the infirmary, especially since Midnight _finally_ returned his stupid sleeping bag. He'd have a stern talk with her later. It was also a wonderful excuse to avoid any contact with the news crews that were roaming around, and he couldn't be more thankful for that.

It was a little while after the surgery that Mic showed up with Uraraka. The bleeding had been stopped, so she was only there for proper clean up and bandaging. Aizawa was sure, however, that she had an ulterior motive.

The moment Present Mic left, she spoke up. "How's Bakugou?" Yep. That's what he thought.

"He'll live." he simply replied. "He'll probably be back in class by next week."

Despite the good news, Uraraka was on the verge of tears, fighting her hardest not to let them spill. "...He saved me, too, you know."

"Huh?"

"From the sniper... He saved me, too."

It was here that Aizawa learned that he had been half right. Uraraka had been in the line of fire. Before Bakugou acted, Uraraka had unwittingly stepped in the way of the shot. Considering their difference in height, if Bakugou hadn't been fast enough, Uraraka would've probably died. When Bakugou saw the flash of gunfire, he'd grabbed her by the back of her shirt collar and violently thrown her to the side before positioning himself between the projectile and Midoriya. Uraraka's head injury resulted from the fall. Aizawa didn't know whether to laugh or face palm.

It was still incredible, though. Within the span of a second, Bakugou managed to predict what was about to happen, save two lives(one of them being Midoriya of all people) from certain death and nearly get himself killed. If that wasn't Guinness world record material, he didn't know what was.

"I don't think he even knows _how_ to be gentle." Uraraka chuckled. Aizawa could see the concern still present in her eyes, but her shoulders didn't seem as slumped as she made her way back to the dormitory. Aizawa continued to rest while he waited for either Kirishima or Midoriya to drop by next. Or Toshinori. That was also an option.

Turns out the correct answer was Kirishima, though Aizawa very quickly noticed that Uraraka was back and she and Midoriya were peering around the corner. Somehow, their presence didn't surprise him in the least. Kirishima was looking up at him expectantly, eyes glistening with unfallen tears. Aizawa sighed, motioning for him to do as he pleased. Kirishima moved swiftly to see his friend.

"Uraraka gave you all a status report from her last visit, correct?"

"Yeah." Kirishima sniffed. "She said he was fine. I just..."

"I imagine that you were with him when it happened."

Kirishima nodded. "We were heading to the dorms early 'cause he agreed to tutor me. One second, he was there, and then he was gone the next... I didn't even realize what happened until he...fell." His shoulders slumped and his head hung low. After a moment, he turned away. "Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari might be coming by at some point. They wanted me to tell you that."

Aizawa nodded, slightly smirking under his scarf as Midoriya and Uraraka advanced to peering through the doorway.

Kirishima seemed to freeze up a little at the sight of his best friend's unmoving form, but his pause was only momentary. Despite, how disturbingly slack he still was, the color had returned to his face and he was breathing much more easily than before. Kirishima took a chair and sat down next to him, gently nudging his shoulder in affection. "Don't scare us like that, man. Seriously. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Aizawa watched silently as Kirishima shook his head, finally letting himself tear up. "To be fair, though, that was hands down one of the manliest things I've ever seen."

He sat and talked to his unconscious friend for an unknown amount of time, as Aizawa wasn't really paying attention to that, or what was said for that matter. Whether or not Bakugou ever heard a word of it was also beyond him.

Once Kirishima left, Uraraka crept back in, Midoriya directly behind her. This was the first time that Aizawa had seen him since the attack, he realized, and he looked like he was in complete disarray. The bags under his eyes were a strong indicator that he hadn't slept, and it wouldn't surprise him if his hygiene had suffered as well. He refused to look anyone in the eyes and he was constantly fidgeting and shooting glances around the room like a cornered animal.

"I'm back." Uraraka smiled at Aizawa cheerfully.

"I can see that." he responded.

Her smile only wavered when she glanced behind her at Midoriya before turning back to Aizawa. "You wouldn't mind if we stayed for a while, would you?"

* * *

"Ugh, I feel like I got hit by a f***ing bus."

"Ah. You're awake."

Bakugou looked absolutely drained. He merely gave Aizawa a glance before making a grimace while trying to pass it off as a scowl. "What the h*** are you doing here?"

"I just thought that as your teacher, I should keep an eye on you. That, and I had nothing better to do." Bakugou gave him the most annoyed look he could muster in response. Aizawa remained completely unfazed. "I also thought that you'd rather not have him be the first face you saw when you woke up."

He motioned towards a couple of chairs in the corner of the room where an exhausted Midoriya and Uraraka had fallen asleep. "They followed Kirishima here when he came to check on you and refused to leave. They skipped classes just so they could play nurse for Recovery Girl."

"Well, kick 'em out!"

"All Might won't let me."

"Why not!?"

"Don't know." At some point, Toshinori had dropped by as expected, pulling Aizawa to the side. Recovery Girl was having Ochako assist her as she gave her patient a check up, while Midoriya stood to the side for when supplies needed to be gathered.

Toshinori glanced at Midoriya sadly. "Young Midoriya is blaming himself." He'd told him, though Aizawa had supposed as much. "I've told him that there was nothing he could have done, but..."

Even now, Aizawa could remember Midoriya's shaking, eyes filled with regret, anger, concern, fear, and so many other emotions that he could name if wanted to. Within that moment, the kid had genuinely thought that his childhood friend was going to die and that it was entirely his fault. Looking over the two extra occupants in the corner, Aizawa could fully see how exhausted they were, especially Midoriya. Aizawa shook his head.

"He hasn't slept since the attack. Just leave him be." For all he knew, Uraraka hadn't slept either, but she was doing a much better job at hiding it if that was the case.

Bakugou continued to glare daggers at him, before shooting one to what he probably considered intruders in the corner, before looking away in disgust. "Whatever."

Aizawa rolled his eyes. The kid could spout his hatred for his childhood friend and his little posse all he wanted. Actions speak louder than words, and logically speaking, people don't take bullets for people they don't care about.

It was as this moment that Midoriya decided to stir. Aizawa watched as Bakugou tensed, his brow furrowing and teeth clenched in annoyance. Midoriya yawned, stretching slowly and rubbing his eyes in a tired manner.

"Sleep well?" Aizawa asked nonchalantly.

Midoriya looked over at him groggily. "Mm-hmm."

There was a growl. "Great! Now go get Round Face over there and drag yourselves the f*** out of my sight! You're such an eyesore."

Midoriya's head instantly spun around to face him, eyes wide with a sea of emotions. "Ah! K-K-Kacchan!"

Aizawa counted the seconds as the boys' eyes seemed to drill holes into each other, before Midoriya realized that he was staring, which was visibly agitating his childhood friend, and quickly looked away. They sat in awkward silence; an uncomfortable silence that seemed to weigh down the air in the room and make it difficult to breathe. Insecurities were left unspoken. No apologies or gratitude were uttered. Just silence.

And then, "Stop mopping, you moron. It's p***ing me off."

Midoriya looked up, but immediately turned away. "You shouldn't of done that..."

"Don't tell me what to do, f***munch."

They still hadn't made eye contact, though Bakugou was glowering dangerously at him, but a small smile was now gracing Midoriya's lips. "Please don't do that again."

"What did I literally just say?!"

Aizawa blinked. They'd fallen back into silence, but preferring to stare at their hands than anything else. Hidden under his scarf, Aizawa let a small smile creep across his face as he stood to leave.

" _It wasn't your fault._ "

" _Thank you._ "

" _You're welcome._ "

" _Never risk your life for me again._ "

" _No promises._ "

Aizawa made his leave, deciding to leave the fate of the infirmary in the hands of Uraraka and Recovery Girl. His students had been left without him for long enough and he almost feared what madness awaited him due to his own absence. He'd also have to think of a fair punishment for Midoriya and Uraraka skipping out on class.

"Whoever started the whole 'comparing you to a villain' thing isn't very smart." he heard Midoriya comment.

There was a snort in response. "No kidding?"

* * *

 **Alright, got that off my chest. Yay. :)**

 **If people like this story, I may write another chapter from Bakugou's perspective, or maybe even Midoriya's. Who knows. We'll see.**

 **Thanks for reading! PLUS ULTRA! ^^**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	2. Midnight Chats

**I just wanted to say that the feedback I got from you guys was very encouraging and made me very happy! Thank you so much and I'm so glad that you enjoyed my story! ^^ I dedicate this chapter to you guys.**

 **Yes, every comment referring to whether or not there should be more chapters of this has, in fact, asked for more, so how can I not?**

 **Either way, I don't got much else to say, so moving on!**

 **Oh, yes! To help avoid confusion, this chapter chronologically takes place between Uraraka's and Kirishima's respective visits to the infirmary.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is amazing and awesome and I love it!**

* * *

If he'd bolted up out of bed any faster, he might have snapped his neck from the momentum, but that was quite literally the least of his worries at the moment.

It took several seconds for Izuku to remember where he was, the thousands of dollars worth of All Might merchandise staring him in the face giving him an odd sense of calm. The dorms were dead silent that night, a huge improvement from last night when it was announced that school that day would be canceled and the dormitories on lock down.

" _It's all your fault!_ "

Izuku let out something between a groan and a whimper, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. With shaky hands, he steadied himself as he dragged himself out of bed and stumbled his way towards the light switch. At this point, it was clear to him that he wasn't sleeping tonight, no matter how quiet it now was.

The day before yesterday had started normal enough, for superhero school at least. He, Iida, and Uraraka had almost been late for school that day and Izuku had to admit that his plan to beat the clock had been especially ridiculous. Once they stepped foot outside the dorm, he had Uraraka use zero gravity on herself and him, while they clung to Iida, who used his Recipro Burst to shoot themselves towards the front entrance.

It almost went without a hitch, but then they almost ran over Kacchan and Kirishima just outside the school doors. Thankfully, the former had the sense to grab Kirishima and dive out of the way as the three of them went barreling into the front steps. The result was a pair of broken glasses, ripped tights, a couple missing shoes, a mess of scattered textbooks, notepads, and pencils, a headache for Izuku from slamming face first into a wall, hysteric laughter from Uraraka and Kirishima, and a possible couple hundred dollars in property damage. Izuku might have found it at least somewhat hilarious, had he not been running for his life immediately afterward. Of course, he could have gotten a lot worse then cussed out when it came to the human personification of a landmine, so he chose to count his blessings.

Besides that, after an announcement from Aizawa-sensei about a change in scenery for lunch, morning classes were business as usual with the regular hijinks and antics of Class 1-A. Izuku had tried to ignore a lot of it and focus on his studies(which led to mumbling and became a disruption of its own), but he somehow doubted that anyone would blame him for ducking for cover when Sero's desk spontaneously combusted next to him.

With an exhausted huff, Izuku collapsed back onto his bed, not even having the energy to cry anymore. Yes, it had been a normal day. It was just any other day.

Except for the fact that he'd felt so _fidgety_.

Did he miss that? Did he ignore it? Did he just not notice? He couldn't remember for the life of him.

" _It's all your fault!_ "

* **Knock** ** **Knock** ** **Knock** * Soft rapping on his door startled him out of his thoughts. Izuku sat silently, not entirely sure whether or not he should respond. Who else could possibly be up at that time of night?

A gentle feminine voice answered both questions. "Hey, Deku? It's Uraraka. Are you there?"

Izuku quickly scurried over to the door, fumbling with the lock in his hurry before creaking the door open.

The first thing he noticed, oddly enough, was her disheveled hair. It looks closer to Ashido's hairstyle, honestly, sticking every which way without a care in the world, just underneath the heavy bandages. Izuku involuntarily shuddered at the reminder of yesterday's(technically the day before's) events. The second thing was that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying, but rather than a sense of sadness as one would expect, she seemed oddly calm with a pleasant smile on her face. Her pajamas were in complete disarray, with buttons in the wrong holes, a rolled up pants leg, and a missing slipper. She rubbed her eyes on her forearm in a vain attempt to appear more put together.

"I couldn't sleep," she sighed. "So I was going to get some water, and I noticed that your light was on. I guess I just assumed you were awake. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"N-No, no." He stuttered. "To be honest, I couldn't sleep either."

Uraraka smiled sadly. "Can I come in?"

"Oh! Uh, sure! Sure. Come on in." He opened the door all the way and stepped out of the way to move cluttered notes and books off of the floor. "Sorry about the mess. I haven't done any cleaning in the past couple of days. It might be a little dusty, too."

"No, it's fine." Uraraka quickly responded. "Don't worry about it."

Izuku chuckled nervously, hoping that she wouldn't notice his own rattled state, the effects of the nightmare still lingering. She carefully took a seat on his bed and sighed loudly. "We haven't been taking this well, huh?"

Realizing instantly what she was referring to, Izuku's eyes widened in alarm. He then dipped his head and rubbed his arm anxiously. "I..."

Uraraka corrected herself. "When I say we, I mean everyone."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, no one seems to be taking this well. There's the obvious, like Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero, but then I've noticed other things."

She smiled, genuinely this time. "Todoroki nearly destroyed his room last night, and Asui's been asking a lot of questions. I think the teachers are ready to pull their hair out because of her among others. Anyway, Tokoyami's been awfully quiet, and Hagakure, too. Everyone's upset. I was talking to Iida this afternoon, and boy, was he livid! He was rambling something about terrible veterans and suing asylums and I just kind of lost him, you know?"

Izuku let out a light chuckle. He could hear Iida now. 'I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ASHAMED OF OUR MILITARY FORCES AND FELLOW HEROES IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I AM ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED THAT ANYONE WOULD BE SO CARELESS AS TO ALLOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN!'

Izuku shook his head at his own thoughts as Uraraka continued. "I've never seen him so passionate about someone being arrested before. Seriously!"

His head shot up, eyes widened with multiple emotions that not even he could quite place. "Arrested?"

"Oh, you didn't know? I guess you've been hiding in here for the last, what, day and a half? So, I'm not really that surprised. So...yeah. They caught the sniper today. He nearly gave them the slip, but one of the pro heroes found his rifle hidden in his coat and subdued him when he tried to put up a fight."

He stayed stock still, letting the news sink in. They'd caught the guy. He wasn't a threat to anyone, anymore. The wave of relief that washed over him nearly left him breathless.

They caught the sniper.

 _Good._ That one selfish, entirely human part of him was just as giddy, having its own little celebration deep in the back of his mind. ' _He deserved it_ ,' it said. ' _Good riddance._ ' He couldn't bring himself to shut it up right now.

"Well, I guess since you didn't know about that, then I _need_ to tell you the other thing." Izuku looked into Uraraka's eyes, now glistening with unfallen tears of pure, unadulterated relief.

"He's okay."

Izuku's mind went blank, not entirely registering the information he was just given. He wasn't even truly grasping what he was suppose to be reacting to. "...What?"

"Isn't that great?" she said giddily, her voice cracking from emotion. "Present Mic took me in to see Recovery Girl this afternoon, at the infirmary. They said he's gonna be fine. Aizawa-sensei says he might even be back in class by next week, like nothing ever even happened!"

... _Like nothing ever even happened?_

As much as he loved his friend, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to correct her. To tell her that she couldn't possibly understand, because she didn't witness it like he did. She wasn't there.

Except that she _was_. She had been standing right in front of him, chatting away to him and Iida about some new brand of mochi she'd tried the other day when a flash of light behind her caught his eye, from a building a good distance away from the school and farther into the city. For that split second, his body, his _instincts_ were screaming at him, swearing up and down to get him to _get up_ and _move_.

And then, before he could lift a finger, or even voice a warning, there was a faint _boom_ somewhere to the right, and she vanished, practically teleporting to somewhere on the ground to his left. Chopped brunette hair was replaced with spiky ash blonde, and the high rise window in front of them imploded on itself.

The sound made him jump, almost falling backwards in his chair. Nearby students yelped in surprise as the window completely shattered, leaving bits of broken glass scattered across the tiled floor. The telltale _bang_ that accompanied the window's demise instantly pulled the attention of the entire makeshift cafeteria, the majority of its occupants ducking for cover in response.

Izuku sat in complete shock, still trying to process whatever just happened, and staring in stunned silence at the back of his childhood friend. He tried to say something, to ask him what happened, if he was okay, something, but it was as if he'd gone mute.

"What just..." Iida, who had been sitting to his direct left, was now standing, also in the process of trying to figure out what had just transpired.

"Dude, what..." That sounded like Kirishima. Izuku couldn't really see him in his peripheral, but that sounded like a breathless, very confused and very concerned Kirishima.

But that didn't matter in that moment. What mattered was what was directly in front of him.

Iida spoke up first. "Bakugou, what just happened? Are you okay?"

There was a shaky breath in response. "Shu... Shut it... F-F-Four eyes." he rasped.

He was bracing himself against the table, hunching over with extremely shaky shoulders and hands gripping the edge hard enough for the table to creak. Izuku spared a glance towards Kirishima. Though he himself could only see his back, Kirishima had a very good view of Kacchan's face from where he was, and the slowly growing look of utter horror was not helping the knot twisting violently in his stomach.

And then his knees gave out. Kirishima reacted first, sprinting forward as Kacchan turned to his side to grip the table in an attempt to keep himself upright, and Izuku got his first look at him.

He looked pale. He looked so pale and his face was contorted into an expression of pure agony. He was breathing harshly through his teeth at this point, creating a soft hissing sound. Izuku, now close to panicking, wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, but as Kacchan tried to pull himself up, Izuku's eyes fell onto his chest, where a large red stain was beginning to blossom. His breathe hitched.

Kirishima reached him just in time to catch him when he lost his grip and fell. Izuku finally seemed to regain mobility, jumping up and leaping over the table in a single movement. Iida was already there, having sprinted around said table to survey the damage himself.

"Bakugou! Can you hear me? Come on, talk to me, man!" Kirishima begged, gently lowering his classmate to the ground. Kacchan, in turn, bit his lip to keep from yelling out. Kirishima swiftly tore off his own jacket and pressed it against the wound in an attempt to at least slow down the bleeding.

"That was a gunshot!" someone claimed loudly.

"Were we just sniped at!?"

"Where are the teachers?!"

"What's happening?!"

"Stay down! What if we're shot at again?"

"I WILL GO GET THE TEACHERS!" Iida announced, turning around and sprinting out of the room, not caring about any garbage, chairs, or other obstacles that he might have knocked over in his haste.

Izuku shook, hands partially outstretched in contemplation of what he could possibly do about this. 'What do I do?' ' _What do I do?_ '

"Dude." Kirishima breathed as Kacchan slowly, painstakingly reached out and weakly grasp his friend's arm.

He started coughing, blood lightly trailing from the corner of his mouth. "K-Kiri..."

"That- That was so cool, man. You totally took a hit for Midoriya and took it like a champ." He was practically whispering, his voice slightly quivering. "Just hang on, okay? It looks like you're hurt pretty bad. Iida just went to get the teachers."

He looked so out of it. Izuku could only assume that shock was starting to set in. His fingers were twitching now, begging for action, to do _something_. He was dying!

 _Kacchan was dying and it was all his fault._

The thought plowed into him like a truck. It was almost as if All Might had just punched him in the gut, no restraint, in his _prime_. He finally closed the distance, lurching forward and kneeling down next to them. "Kacchan?"

Crimson eyes lazily peered up into dark green, and a barely noticeable spark of realization crossed his features. "Wh- What...nerd?" he choked out.

"I-I- I- Are you- I mean-..." he stuttered, trying his best not to hyperventilate. Tears had started streaming down his face by now. _He looked so pale_. "Why did you-..."

Another coughing fit started, followed immediately by more hissing. "Hey, hey come on." Midoriya cracked, starting to sound more and more hysterical. "J-Just hang on, Kacchan. Iida went to find Aizawa-sensei, or All Might. You're gonna be just fine, I promise!"

"Sh-shut up... So d*** annoying..." He bit back another yelp, causing his own lower lip to bleed, and let out a couple shaky breaths and a shudder.

And he went limp.

It was as if everything had stopped. As if the world had ceased turning and the sky had come crashing down on top of him. Everything else was drowned out, with the exception of Kirishima's startled cry, followed by pleas for his best friend to open his eyes. To come back.

Everything else had faded away by now, and Izuku realized that there was silence.

" _You_."

The world shattered like the rise window in front of him and he found himself surrounded by blackness. He didn't even know what was happening anymore.

" _If you'd- If you hadn't-_ _ **You**_."

Pulling at his hair in terror, Izuku realized that he was standing, with Kirishima and Kacchan now a few feet in front of him. He didn't remember moving.

" _ **You did this**_."

Kirishima's eyes were filled with a foreign look of burning hatred, as if he was staring at a monstrosity. His voice was like fire.

" _You could have done something_."

He was clinging onto Kacchan as if he were a lifeline. And Kacchan-

" _You could have done anything_."

-wasn't breathing.

" _And you did_ _ **nothing!**_ "

Izuku felt as if he was suffocating. Like everything was falling apart. He was surrounded by nothingness. He fell to his knees and screamed, but there was no sound.

" _IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!_ "

" **DEKU!** "

If he'd bolted up any faster, he might have snapped his neck from the momentum, but that was quite literally the least of his worries at the moment.

It took several seconds for Izuku to remember where he was, the thousands of dollars worth of All Might merchandise staring him in the face giving him an odd sense of calm. The dorms were-

"Deku."

Soft, shaky hands were clinging onto his shoulders. Izuku, though still in somewhat of a confused state, slowing looked up at Uraraka. She was sobbing. "Deku..."

She pulled him into a tight embrace, clinging onto him, trying to keep him grounded. "It was _**not**_ your fault."

" _Don't worry, for I am here!_ "

" _All Might!_ "

He couldn't help but remember when the teachers arrived, with Present Mic and Aizawa-sensei looking over Kacchan while All Might came to him. He remembered clinging onto his mentor as if the fate of the universe depended on it.

" _I saw it coming!_ " he'd sobbed. " _I saw it coming and I couldn't do anything! I just let it happened! If I'd just-_ "

" _Shh. Stop that._ " All Might had replied, his skinny arms pulling him into a tight hug. " _It is most certainly_ not _your fault, young Midoriya._ "

" _But I could've-_ "

" _No. Just stop._ " he'd said calmly, yet sternly. " _There's nothing we can do to change things now. I'm sorry it had to be like this, but you need to understand._ "

His grip on his student tightened in an attempt to calm his shivering. " _Yes, as a hero, you have a responsibility to protect and to save. However..._ " he sighed sadly. " _No matter how hard you try, you cannot save everyone. Even I have had to learn this painful lesson. It pains me that you had to learn it like this._ "

" _I could've..._ "

" _Shh. It's okay, young Midoriya. It's okay._ "

" _I- I..._ "

And he'd cried. He'd cried until there were no more tears to cry. He cried until sleep finally overtook him, making the images of his bloody and pale childhood friend seem like nothing but a terrible, terrible nightmare.

And Uraraka had been there, too, just as she was now, keeping him together, holding him as if he'd fall apart the moment she let go.

"It's not your fault." she breathed. "It's not, I promise. It's not."

"But I-"

"Just stop it. _Please_." she cried.

Izuku felt his head drop onto her shoulder as she continued. "Everything's okay now. Please stop dragging yourself through the mud over this. You're my friend, and I care about you _so_ much."

She let out another sob. "I hate to see you hurting like this."

Izuku silently allowed her to hold onto him and cry, eventually allowing himself to hug her back, nestling his face into her collarbone. They stayed like that for what felt like centuries, both giving and receiving comfort that they so desperately needed. Before they knew it, sunlight was starting to leak in through the window of Izuku's dorm room, pulling the attention of the two young and distraught hero-in-training.

Uraraka wiped her eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "You think Aizawa-sensei would be mad if we skipped class and spent the day in the infirmary?"

Izuku blinked at her. Uraraka smiled. "You know, check on Bakugou, for your own peace of mind. From what I understand, he's still unconscious, but healing. So, how about it?" Uraraka stood, dusting off her pajama legs and holding out a hand for Izuku to take. "Let's get changed and go visit him!"

For a moment, Izuku hesitated. The guilt was still eating him alive and he didn't know if he'd be able to handle even looking at Kacchan right now. However, Uraraka's smile in the morning sun and outstretched hand couldn't have been more inviting. More welcoming.

And so, he took a deep breath and accepted her hand.

* * *

"Stop mopping, you moron. It's p***ing me off."

The sudden cut in the awkward silence nearly made Izuku jump out of his skin, just the voice alone immediately pulling his attention towards it. Of course, one look into Kacchan's piercing red eyes, and he instantly broke his gaze. Despite the lack of his childhood friend's usual hostility, Izuku couldn't help but feel on edge, especially after recent events.

"You shouldn't of done that..." was all he could mutter. It still hurt to look at him and remember the ring of a gunshot and the sight of freely flowing blood, but deep down, there was a small part of him that burned with gratitude for such a gesture. _Thank you_.

"Don't tell me what to do, f***munch." was his brash reply. Despite the bite behind it, Izuku knew from experience what truly venomous words sounded like, and that wasn't what he was hearing here. He just couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips at the warm feeling of a familiarity that he'd thought had long since died.

"Please don't do that again." His voice was soft, almost pleading, _begging_.

"What did I literally just say?!" _He should have known_.

And yet, for whatever reason, Izuku felt happy.

Maybe everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

 **For those of you who might have gotten confused during the "flashback" part in the middle there, it did start out as an actual flashback, but then it basically just devolved into Midoriya's aforementioned nightmare in the end. Just so that's clear.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter will be Bakugou's perspective during the actual attack, so look forward to that and I'll see you then! Plus Ultra!**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	3. Heroic Act

**I'm BAAAAAACK! Might as well sneak another chapter in before finals start. :)**

 **So okay, WOW. Bakugou is incredibly difficult to write. I _really_ hope I did him justice. He is my favorite character, after all. ^^**

* * *

He knew that today was going to be an absolute f***ing nightmare the moment he and Kirishima had to voluntarily eat dirt to avoid being plowed into by Four Eyes the human f***ing bullet.

Slamming his bento onto the table, Katsuki plopped into the seat next to Kirishima as Kami-something-or-other and Raccoon Eyes rambled about school gossip and whatever TV show was popular right now while the glorified tape dispenser nodded along as if he were actually listening and not glancing at Katsuki with a sheepish grin. Instead of concerning himself with the likes of him, he chose to observe his surroundings, immediately noting how plain and boring the makeshift cafeteria's decor was against the vibrant colors of the city landscape outside the giant windows they were all but surrounded by. Of course, he didn't mind all that much, as it didn't do too much to irritate his currently pounding headache.

The day had started off decent enough, waking up at his normal inhuman hours of the morning for a workout and proper cleanup before making himself something to eat. One reason that he preferred such an early hour was because then he wouldn't have to deal with any of his classmates before classes actually started, and as a bonus, he wouldn't have them whining at him to make them breakfast. Of course, Deku and Four Eyes were also early risers, as were Todoroki and the ponytail girl sometimes, but the latter two were tolerable on a good day, Deku knew better than to bother him too much, and Four Eyes usually stuck with Deku, so it wasn't _that_ bad when compared to getting up with everyone else and dealing with nineteen people badgering him first thing in the morning. Definitely the lesser of two evils.

Of course, he had noticed a lack of idiots when Deku and Four Eyes didn't show up in the kitchen or common room at their usual time that day, but he supposed that there wasn't really any reason to be concerned, since they could have either had some sort of late night study session of some kind or they were tired from something stupid happening in heroics class yesterday or whatever. He then wondered why he even cared.

As class time approached, he put on his uniform jacket and slipped out of the dorms, trying to avoid his classmates in case they attempted to try and walk with them as if they were actually friends, unless it was Kirishima. Kirishima was his least hated classmate, so he got a pass.

And lucky for him, because the red-head had taken it upon himself to catch up with him when he'd notice his absence. Choosing to ignore most of Weird Hair's small talk, Katsuki wasn't _too_ caught off guard when they got to the front steps and Deku and Four Eyes, along with Uraraka, decided that it would be a wonderful idea to nearly run them over and then crash into the front steps. In all honesty, he was surprised that they didn't all break their necks from the impact, the idiots. At least he gave Deku a good scare for doing something so stupid, and he hoped that slamming face first into that wall hurt for good measure. _He then wondered why he even cared_.

From there, classes went on as usual, with the Grape being an annoying little pervy s*** and Deku being an annoying s*** in general and Kirishima giggling like an idiot because apparently their near-death experience outside earlier was hilarious for some reason or another and if he were honest with himself, he should have freaked out at them more than twice. Then Flat face, who had witnessed the event, had the absolute gall to ask if the crash had actually scared him or something.

Flat face doesn't have a desk anymore.

Raccoon Eyes let out a hideous howl of laughter when Katsuki suddenly smacked Sparky's thieving hands as hard as he could as they reached for his bento, resulting in a surprised screech and a deep red bruise.

Flat face snorted. "Dude, are you sure you're good? You've been acting a little odd today. Jumpy, I might say."

Kirishima hummed in thought. "Yeah, Bakugou. I've noticed, too. It's like your suddenly hyper aware of everything or something. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine." He spat, glaring at all of them before wolfing down his meal. So what if he felt weirdly... _fidgety_ today. It wasn't any of their f***ing business. Thankfully, they seemed to accept that answer, shrugging and returning to whatever 'possible relationship' they'd been talking about last. He knew for a fact that Kirishima probably didn't buy it, but he could deal with that after lunch during tutoring.

In fact, that wasn't a bad excuse to leave now if Kirishima was willing to roll with it.

"Hey, Weird Hair." Kirishima gave him his full attention instantly. Katsuki took his last spring roll, shut the lid of his bento, and smacked Sparky again with it for another lunch theft attempt he'd been making because he's a moron. "You wanted a tutoring session today, didn't you? If we go back now, we can get it done before heroics classes start."

Kirishima looked up in thought, trying to mimic The Thinker statue from the looks of it(though sticking his tongue out did nothing to help make him look even remotely intelligent), before giving a firm nod to himself and turning back to him. "Sure. We could chat while we study, too."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "You know I hate small talk."

Kirishima smiled, nudging his shoulder. "Well, maybe if you learned out to deal with it, you could make more friends."

"That is assuming that I actually wanted to be friends with any of those extras, which I don't."

"Rude."

"Yeah, us 'extras' can still hear you, you know." Sparky called out, pouting.

"And you're assuming that I give a s***." Katsuki shot back before stalking off. Kirishima gave an apologetic shrugged, which the three idiots easily waved off as Bakugou being Bakugou, and chased after him.

The room was crowded, the already smaller room being littered with chairs and tables formerly left in neat little rows across the room with a comfortable view of the city. Students from every department bustled in and out, talking about useless facts and chit chat that Katsuki couldn't care less about as they walked by. Every once in a while, Kirishima would spot someone from their class, such as the frog girl or the guy that downed horrifying amounts of sugar because quirks, he guessed, and say something irrelevant before moving on. He himself noticed Todoroki at one point, but chose not to say anything. The sooner they got out of that place and away from these losers, the better.

"Man, check out the view!" Kirishima suddenly exclaimed, plastering himself onto the window to look at the city. Katsuki just about shoved him through it out of frustration.

"Yeah. Great. Scenery. Scenery that we see. Every. Single. Day. _Let's go_."

Kirishima huffed, giving him a look of mock hurt before slowly sauntering away from the window. "You're no fun."

"We're in school." Katsuki responded deadpan. He then turned to stomp out of the room, with or without Kirishima-

-And froze.

There, off to the side and closest to the windows, were Deku, Four Eyes, and Uraraka. Uraraka's back was to the windows, talking the other twos' ears off, most likely about something stupid, while Deku gave her his full attention with annoyingly bright eyes and Iida sat with his back straight enough to be considered vertical planking. After today's fiasco out front, he decided that it would be best for all of them if he just ignored them and walked by, but that wasn't why he stopped.

It was the weird fidgety feeling in his gut slamming into him all at once.

Suddenly, for that moment, he truly was hyper aware, every sound and movement within his peripheral being easily noticed and it almost felt as if he were in slow motion. Everything was crystal clear and he felt like he could easily run a marathon right then and there. And yet, at the same time, he didn't feel as if he was entirely in control at the moment. It was easily the most surreal feeling he'd ever experienced.

Something was wrong.

"Okay, seriously dude. Are you really okay?" Kirishima sounded as if he were talking directly into his ear, despite being somewhere behind him. There was a hint of concern there, too. Not pity. Concern. He knew Kirishima and Kirishima knew better.

And then he saw it. The slightest pinch of Deku's eyebrows, a fleeting glance behind Uraraka, and Katsuki's head instinctively turned towards the windows, out into the city, to a lone building a good distance away, where a sudden flash occurred. Somehow, someway, he already knew what was happening.

And his feet just moved on their own.

Katsuki didn't remember what happened after that. Everything happened so fast that his mind didn't entirely register what his body was doing. He faintly recalled grabbing someone and throwing them to the side, but besides that, all he knew was that he'd moved a significant distance from where he'd been, if Kirishima's position was any indication. He felt strangely numb, and all the noise and sights that had been heightened to him suddenly died out.

And then everything _hurt_. Gasping from the sudden impact, Katsuki gripped the table behind him and hunched over, trying to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of him. He didn't quite expect being shot feeling like the most solid punch to the chest that was humanly possible and more so.

His next coherent thought was the realization that he'd just been mother f***ing shot.

"-Are you okay?" Someone was speaking to him. Was it Four Eyes? It was probably Four Eyes.

He slowly and shakily exhaled and rasped out. "Shu... Shut it... F-F-Four eyes."

His body suddenly weighed way more than it should have, his knees buckling without his permission and giving out from under him. He barely registered himself grabbing onto the table for support, trying to haul himself back up, because _no way in_ h*** _was he going down without a fight_. He heard what he could only assume were surprised shouts, but in all honesty, he couldn't care less. If nothing else, at least the gut wrenching fidgety feeling had gone away.

He lost his grip and plummeted, landing in the arms of who he could only assume was Kirishima, the b******. However, he was finding himself caring less about what was happening around him and more about just breathing.

There was movement around him, some shouting, and blurs of colors flying past him in a manic fashion. Four Eyes' declaration of whatever the f*** he was doing pierced through the air and a gust of wind announced his exit. He could feel pressure on his numb chest, and the world started to regain some shape, revealing Kirishima above him, pressing his jacket against him. He looked so upset. If he were honest with himself, he didn't like that look on Kirishima's face. It looked too weird and out of place. Instinctively, he reached up to latch onto his... _classmate's_ arm as reassurance that he was still with him if nothing else.

He coughed. "K-kiri..." Wow. If that's what he sounded like, then even he was concerned. It was as if he was trying to talk while gurgling water.

"That- That was so cool, man. You totally took a hit for Midoriya and took it like a champ." Kirishima sounded muffled, but he could at least still make out what he was saying. "Just hang on, okay? It looks like you're hurt pretty bad. Iida just went to get the teachers."

Ah, so that's what Four Eyes was shouting about, not that he could tell. It sounded as if everything was underwater, and he sounded like he was under that water... Water-ception? Wait, that didn't make any sense. Good grief, he must be _really_ out of it at this point. Yeah, concerned might actually be a good term for this scenario.

"Kacchan?"

Oh yeah, Deku was a thing.

A green blob materialized in his vision, which he could only assuming to be the stupid f***ing nerd. "Wh- What...nerd?" He answered back. D***, he sounded like death.

For a single moment of clarity, he could make out Deku's face, his eyes impossibly wide with tears beginning to cascade down his face. It felt...uncomfortably familiar.

"I-I- I- Are you- I mean-..." He was stuttering, having just about as much of a hard time breathing as he was. Why was everything so quiet? "Why did you-..."

The coughing fit that suddenly wracked his body cut Deku off, causing one last small blur of movement before everything became distant. He couldn't hear what anyone was saying anymore and it was getting dark. Was this what dying felt like?

...Whatever. Not that he was afraid. He wasn't afraid of anything.

Deku was still rambling, though. He couldn't understand a word he was saying, but he could make that he was talking, and despite the familiarity of it, it was starting to grate on his nerves. Maybe that's where said familiarity stemmed from?

"Sh-shut up... So d*** annoying..." It hurt, but it didn't. It was strange. He felt oddly peaceful, despite the darkness taking over his vision and the looks of utter horror from the people around him being etched into his memory. He felt numb, blank, as if he wasn't even there, but that was fine, he supposed. A nap wouldn't hurt.

And then it was just quiet.

* * *

 **Welp, this is a shorter chapter. Only four and a half pages compared to the last chapter's nine. Either way, woo! Another chapter done! I hope you've enjoyed this story so far and that I haven't butchered any characterizations! :D**

 **The reason I chose to end it when he passed out and not elaborate on the scene where he woke up is because I didn't feel like there was anything to elaborate on. I think everything that needs to be said has been said. No need to rehash content. X)**

 **I have an idea for one more chapter, if you guys are interested. It would be a sort of epilogue, featuring interactions with Bakusquad and some other Class 1-A students. Let me know if you want to see that!**

 **As always, thank you for reading and I'll see you guys next time! PLUS ULTRA!**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	4. An Epilogue

**Merry belated Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody! :D**

 **Okay, so this chapter would have been up yesterday, but technical difficulties forced me to wait. Sorry about that. ^^; At least it fixed itself.**

 **Either way, I hope you enjoy this final chapter!**

* * *

It was suppose to be a decently warm weekend, as Ochako had heard the weather stations had announced, so it wasn't difficult to imagine everyone's surprise when they finished their last Friday class and strolled outside to find that it was snowing.

Ignoring some of the groans coming her classmates, Ochako wasted no time in chasing after Ashido into the small flurry. It wasn't even close to winter, so the snow wasn't sticking to the ground and instead fluttered across the sky and melted upon contact with the lukewarm earth. Ochako couldn't help but giggle at Ashido's childish display of spinning around in the open with her tongue out trying to catch snowflakes. She also heard Yaoyozoru behind her, she and Midoriya discussing something along the lines of how cold it must actually be in the atmosphere all those miles above them.

The last couple of days had been more clear, with blue skies and dry air, and if one had not been within the U.A. area, then it was probably a completely average week. However, for the students of U.A., particularly class 1-A, it had been unnaturally quiet. Uncomfortable, even. Even with only one of them missing, even when that person was easily the most volatile and unapproachable person among them, it felt strange, like something was missing. He may scream and shout his hatred for them all(with a couple exceptions) and try to not associate himself with them, but whether he liked it or not, he was one of them.

And whether they liked it or not, they missed him.

It had been approximately two days since the sniper attack. Two days since someone had _dared_ to try and murder Deku. Two days since Ochako had nearly been taken out with him. Two days since Bakugou saved them both and almost died in the process. Whatever Ochako's classmates thought of their explosive comrade, she was sure that they could all agree how wrong it felt. Just like how it always felt wrong when any of them were absent. Just like how it felt after the attack at the summer camp.

"Uraraka!" Ashido called out, pausing in her twirling and running up to her. "You okay? You look down all of a sudden."

Ochako smiled in return. "Oh no, I'm fine. Just thinking is all." She dramatically rubbed her arms as she started to shiver. "It's surprisingly cold out today, isn't it? It's really pretty, though."

Her blatant attempt to change the subject didn't seem to go unnoticed by Ashido, if the sad smile that she gave her had anything to say about it, but she simply chose to give her a grin and begin to twirl around again, the snowflakes dancing around her as if it had been choreographed just for her. "It is pretty! I'd say it's definitely a hot chocolate day. Rikidou said he was gonna make some for everyone! Ooooh, I can already taste it!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto Ochako's arm and dragging her towards the dorms. "Come on! Let's go get some!"

Ochako simply giggled as Ashido excitedly pulled her along to catch up with their other classmates. Jirou must have made another jab at Kaminari, because he was having a fit and Sero was dying of laughter. Nearby, Yaoyorozu and Iida simply shook their heads in fondness and exasperation respectively while Todoroki rolled his eyes and Deku laughed nervously. Shoji and Tokoyami were talking to Kaminari's left, while Asui dragged Mineta away from Hagakure and Ojiro to not interrupt whatever they were talking about. Rikidou and Kouda appeared by the doorway, Rikidou joining Shoji and Tokoyami's conversation as they came by.

"Bonjour~." Aoyama greeted from Ashido's right.

"Hey! Where'd you come from? I didn't see you."

"It's a secret~."

Ochako laughed as Ashido smacked Aoyama's shoulder in good humor, causing him to stumble and nearly fall flat on his face. As he quickly recovered, Ochako let her eyes wonder back to her classmates in front of her.

To Kirishima, walking alone.

Ochako felt a pang in her chest, her thoughts going back to the table next to the shattered high rise window and the bloody tiled floor. She had apparently hit her head pretty hard, so a lot of what happened was fuzzy, but she did remember crawling over to Deku, who was sobbing into All Might's chest, as a flash of black, whom she now knew was Aizawa-sensei, sped past her carrying her dying classmate.

She did, however, very vividly remember the night after, huddled with Deku in his dorm room as they cried over their weaknesses and fears, and walked out that morning with the resolve to move forward. Any other context and the scenario might have had her blushing furiously.

Sighing, as Ashido and Aoyama got lost in some conversation concerning fashion, Ochako jogged over to where Kirishima was entering the dorms. "Hey, Kirishima."

Kirishima turned to her, giving her a big toothy grin. "Hi Uraraka! How are you feeling?"

"I'm great! No headaches today."

"Great news! I'm glad you're feeling better."

She felt as if she were walking on eggshells, but she had to know. They were both his friends, right? At least, she liked to think she was. She knew for sure that he'd gone to see their ill-tempered friend that morning, so if his spirits were so high right now, that could only be good, right?. So she started. "How's Bakugou doing?"

Gauging Kirishima's expression, she was both pleased and relieved to see the smile remain firmly and truly on his face. She couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Definitely better." he stated. "He's a little tired from Recovery Girl's treatment, and even then, he's still a tiny bit sore. Don't tell him I told you that."

Ochako laughed. "I'm glad to hear it. We were all really worried."

"Yeah. Believe me, I was too. I'd thought he was a goner for a little while there."

Ochako's expression softened to show sympathy. Of course Kirishima would be worried. He was his best friend and had seen the damage first hand while she was seeing stars. She let out a long sigh. "So, Ashido mentioned something about hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, that's sounds great right about now! Kinda wish Blasty was here to make it. Anything he makes is incredible."

"Yeah? I'd heard he was a good cook. I wish he'd cook for the class."

"I'll rope him into it for you guys sometime. They don't call me the bomb squad for nothing."

Ochako burst out laughing, now picturing Kirishima in a SWAT team suit with a riot shield very slowly approaching a very angry Bakugou, who for some reason had a lit fuse sticking out of his head. She snorted to herself as she slipped into the kitchen with Rikidou, Yaoyorozu, and Deku, while Todoroki stood in the doorway and watched with interest.

"Would you like to help us, Todoroki?" Yaoyorozu inquired, causing Todoroki, though still straight faced, to look at his shoes and rub his arm sheepishly.

"I would have no idea what I was doing." he said simply.

"That's okay," she countered. "I don't either. I always had people make it for me. I never saw the process."

He stared silently for a moment longer while Deku started pulling out ingredients and Rikidou hunted down a pot. Ochako watched in amusement before shuffling over next to Deku. After a moment, Todoroki was peering around Rikidou's arm as he poured water and salt into the large pot.

"Midoriya, could you pass the sugar? Yaoyorozu, I need the cocoa."

Ochako simply sat and stared, enjoying the sweet scent that was now wafting through the air. Eventually, Todoroki was given the task of boiling the contents in the pot while Rikidou went to rummage the fridge for milk and Yaoyorozu pulled out some vanilla. Silently watching her friends put together this nice treat, Ochako couldn't help but smile, even when the routine was slightly interrupted with Deku looking into the common room when he heard the door open and an 'I am here!' along with it.

"Hi, All Might." he greeted. "You're just in time for-"

Ochako heard him gasp, followed by the sudden excited screeches of some of her classmates accompanied by the sound of chairs and tables being knocked over. Startled, Ochako quickly took the space next to Deku, where she got a great view of the mess that now made up the common room and a small crowd of her classmates encircling Kirishima.

And a slightly tensed up Bakugou standing behind him.

All Might laughed as he slipped past his giddy students and gave Deku and Ochako a knowing smile. Meanwhile, Kirishima slowly waved his hands in front of his friends as Bakugou began to relax behind him.

"Calm down, guys. He needs his space. Don't just charge at him." he reasoned as he turned to face Bakugou. He then quickly but gently threw his arms around him. "And I get the first hug."

Despite the underlying exhaustion, if the small shadows under his eyes were anything to go by, the feral roar that immediately followed was music to Ochako's ears. "WHAT THE _F***_ , WEIRD HAIR! **LET GO!** "

"I am now a part of you."

" _ **KIRISHIMA!**_ "

"Your unwavering horse."

"Oh my g-, GET OFF!"

Kirishima finally relented, pulling back as the others scurried over to the couches where All Might had already planted himself. Ashido appeared next to Bakugou, throwing a heavy blanket over his shoulders.

"I know you don't like the cold." she said. "Make yourself comfortable, just for today."

Bakugou glared dangerously at her, but miraculously didn't pull the blanket off and instead dragged it with him to the couch near All Might where he promptly dropped down and curled up like a cat. Ochako remembered Kirishima mentioning that he was tired. Maybe even too tired to keep his tough act up? She didn't remember Deku mentioning him being this tired when he spoke with him last. Maybe he'd just been treated before he left the infirmary.

Midoriya sighed deeply next to her, possibly contemplating approaching him when Todoroki strode past them, stopping in front of and peering down at Bakugou with an emotionless expression and a steaming mug in his hands.

"Rikidou made it." He said simply, holding the mug out in front of him. Bakugou must have given him a confused look, because Todoroki continued. "The sugar guy, tall with big lips."

Another moment went by before Bakugou sat up. "Oh. He's supposedly good with sweet things, yeah?"

Todoroki nodded as he handed the mug off and watched expectantly as Bakugou stared at the drink warily. Finally, he took a small sip, not at all effected by its temperature.

"It's fine, I guess." he mumbled.

"Bakugou said it's fine! It must be amazing!" Kaminari yelled from somewhere near by. All Might gave a hearty cackle at his student's excitement as the rest of them lined themselves up in front of the kitchen for their own servings. Ochako couldn't help but laugh, feeling her spirits lighten up even more at Deku's bright grin.

Today was a good day.

* * *

"Hey, so, uh, I wanted to thank you."

Bakugou glanced up at Ochako, who was sheepishly ringing her hands. It had been a few hours since he'd returned to the dorms, and he hadn't moved from his chosen spot on the couch since. All Might had left with Aizawa-sensei to speak with the U.A. teachers, so the area next to him was completely empty. At first, people would try to take the spot, but he'd growl at them and they'd decide that agitating him right now wasn't what they wanted to do.

Even so, the class would still do small acts of kindness whenever they could get away with it. Rikidou saved an extra serving of hot chocolate for him, which he didn't really complain about. Sero had made it a point later that if Bakugou ever fell asleep at any point that day, they were strictly prohibited from drawing on his face. Iida seemed to agree with this sentiment, as when Bakugou did fall asleep, he stood vigilantly nearby keeping a close eye on where all of the office supplies were stored. Ochako had to try very hard not laugh out loud at him. At one point, Mineta gave him one of his porno mags. Despite the content, Ochako couldn't help but be touched by the gesture, as she knew that Mineta probably treasured those things. Of course, the moment was completely ruined when Bakugou held the magazine up and flatly said, "Hey, look. Fuel for the fireplace."

Midoriya spent the next hour consoling the poor guy, while Jirou, Sero, and Kaminari spent that time trying to catch their breaths from laughing hard enough to turn blue in the face.

The first person to get away with sitting next to him was Asui, who silently, and bravely, took the spot while he was dozing off and turned on the tv to watch a game show. Ochako was present when Bakugou woke up and shot a look at the frog girl before curiously turning his attention to the show.

"It's a favorite of mine." She'd said. "My family and I would get together and watch it on weekends, but I'm kinda stuck here by myself for now."

Bakugou kept his eyes on the screen. "Kinda reminds me of this obstacle course show that the old hag really likes."

"Who?"

"My mom."

Asui blinked, probably not quite able to imagine herself talking about her own mother like that, and decided not to ask, simply continuing with, "Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hm. Would force my old man and I to watch it with her. 'Family bonding time' or some bulls***."

Asui hummed thoughtfully before they lapsed back into silence until the episode's conclusion. Deciding that she taken enough of his time, Asui vacated the couch, leaving Bakugou and Ochako as the only ones present in the room.

And so, building up her courage, she'd slipped into the seat herself. And here she was.

"What?"

He stared at her accusingly as she folded in on herself. "I said thank you."

"For what?"

Ochako turned to him, giving him a questioning look. "You know, the...thing...the other day."

Bakugou narrowed his eyes, seemingly burrowing into her soul. "Why?"

"Why?" she repeated. "I mean, you saved me and Deku. A-and you...got hurt because of it."

Ochako remembered that Deku had described a fidgety feeling at some point. This feeling of impending doom, that something was wrong. Kirishima had mentioned that Bakugou had been jumpy all morning that day. Somehow, they just knew, like a hero would. Like the kind of hero that she was aspiring to be.

So..., why didn't _she_ feel it?

It had been like any other day. Nothing special. So, why? What was different?

Just...why? Why couldn't she be like them?

"So, ...I wanted to thank you."

Bakugou huffed. "Don't. You have no reason to."

" _But-_ "

"Look, you were just in my way, okay? So drop it."

And she did. She sat in silence, staring at everything but the boy next to her as some cooking show started in the background. Ochako sighed, slumping into the couch and closing her eyes tightly. She'd felt so good earlier. She supposed it couldn't possibly last forever. She hoped that Deku was doing better than her.

"How's your head?"

The question caught her completely off guard. She shot up, staring at the red eyes that were glaring back at her. She stuttered before taking a deep breath and leaning back, staring at the ceiling.

"No more headaches. So, I guess it's good."

She could see Bakugou nod from her peripheral vision. "Aizawa mentioned that you hit your head."

"I did. Um, thank you for asking."

"Tch. Just a question."

She smiled, noticing the lack of any anger in his retort. Swinging her legs, she threw herself off the couch, stretching and waving her arms as she moved to return to her dorm room.

"You know, Uraraka," Bakugou called out, almost sounding half asleep. "Aizawa didn't feel like anything was off either."

Ochako spun around so fast that she felt dizzy, and she could do nothing but stare at him in disbelief. "What? How did you-?"

"You were thinking out loud, dumba**." he responded, and Ochako couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. "But listen, I told Aizawa about that feeling and he said that he didn't feel anything, either. Only All Might did. You get that?"

"Yeah..."

"And Aizawa's a pretty decent hero, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"So, what does that say about your chances?"

Ochako was left absolutely speechless. Shaking herself out of her shock, she took a few steps forward. "That doesn't really mean anythi-."

"Just shut up. Seriously, you're just as bad as Weird Hair with underestimating yourself."

"But I-"

"Nope. We're done here. F*** off."

And he promptly fell over and went to sleep, leaving Ochako a sputtering mess. Almost in a daze, she stood there, quietly contemplating, before silently walking to the elevator. As the doors closed and she began moving upward, a smile slowly crept across her face. She liked this version of Bakugou. He should lay around in the common room half asleep more often.

* * *

She came back down stairs at about eleven o'clock that night to find a rather peculiar sight.

Bakugou still hadn't moved, but not only was Ashido sitting next to him, but she was practically laying on top of him with Sero squeezing in next to her. Kirishima and Kaminari were laying on the floor, one leaning against the couch by Bakugou's knee and the other on his stomach. The room was dark, save for the action film currently playing bathing them in a blue-ish hue. And barely hidden by the televised sounds of battle was soft chatter, mostly between Kaminari and Ashido, but one of the other three would add something every once in a while as well.

They all looked so comfortable, and Bakugou seemed so relaxed. Ochako could only imagine how much Kirishima missed this.

And so, as silently as possible, she slipped out her phone and quickly snapped a picture before she could be noticed. Kirishima would appreciate having this, as would Ashido, now that she thought about it. Once she'd claimed her prize, she crept back up the stairs, not wanting to gain any attention with the elevator dinging, and bumped into Deku on the second floor.

"Oh sorry, Uraraka!"

"No, don't be! I should've watched where I was going!"

Deku chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I was going out for a jog. Would you like to come with me?"

Ochako smiled, glancing at her phone before stuffing it back into her pocket. "I'd love to. But first, I wanna show you something really cool, but you gotta be really quiet, okay?"

Deku tilted his head in confusion, but followed her nonetheless as she happily giggled, a small skip in her step and stars in her eyes.

Yes, today really was a good day.

* * *

 **Okay! THAT is it, folks! Like, for real this time! XD**

 **I hope you liked it. It was originally supposed to just be a one shot and was written as such. And then, well, the other three chapters kinda happened. No regrets. X3**

 **I know I said that this was probably going to be my only MHA story, but...I do have other ideas, primarily Bakusquad fics. I don't know if I'm gonna do anything with them yet, but I'm definitely thinking about it. What do you guys think? I guess we'll see, huh?**

 **Anyway, that's all for now, folks! Until we meet again! _PLUS ULTRA!_**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


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